U niversity of O regon M onthly
8
by its contribution to supply a definite felt need of each par
ticular country. Germany needs soldiers to fight for her pres
tige, not now in arms as formerly, but in industries and her
education is. securing the ¿result with remarkable success,
England’s needs ate commercial but her education system does
not yet take up anl accept its purpose. The United States—
depending so much upon her individual citizens needs first of
all—citizens with a feeling of responsibility of citizenship, and
a knowledge of its duties, France needs energetic individual
ity, of purpose in her-citizens. So each country lias its needs
and education is becoming more universally recognized as a
means for satisfying them. In this is seen the necessity for
an educational, system and its nationalization In it too, will
be recognized the fact that education is only a means to an
end and that it in turn, must have its machinery,—means,
whereby it may attain its ends. Now at last in this machinery
we Come to examinations and find they also are a means to an
end and not an. end in themselves- The-mistake is. so often
made of making an examination the goal of years of instruc
tion, that it seems necessary to be-quite definite at this point.
Now to say that examinations are not a, goal properly, is in
sense equivalent to saying that they 'are not necessary.
They arfe important and in our present system are at times
absolutely necessary. But they must not 'be substituted as
an end for education and moreover they must not be employed
without fegard for the one . supreme purpose—immediate or
reniot^, which the entire system'of education aims to promote.
The teacher who wohld avoid this erroneous substi
tution and make examinations an effectual means in educa
tion shofild kndw the nature and needs of childhood and
youth." This is an apparent deviation, but it touches upon a
principle which lies at the :foot of successful teaching and is
closely Connected with ah abuseof examinations. If a high
degree! of intellectual Cfiltfire EEdesired for the individual, no
period o f :the individuals life cin be" denied that Which is
suited to the culture of that period, but each period should be
rounded out completely. Examinations that are given as a